Electromagnetic Torso Scanner for Fatty Liver Disease Detection and Monitoring (2017–2020)
- Abstract:
- According to data published by the Queensland Government, Queensland has the highest rate of obesity in Australia, with 65% of Queenslanders being overweight or obese and 23% being at risk of being overweight in the coming years. Today, the chronic condition known as non-alcoholic-fatty-liver-disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in Queensland. No treatment is available for NAFLD except for correcting diet and in severe cases liver transplant, which has huge costs for the healthcare system. Thus, early stage detection of the disease and more importantly, monitoring its progress, is a key element in preventing severe damage to the liver. Current imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance-imaging (MRI) are not able to detect early and mild stages of the disease and are not widely available, especially in rural areas and remote communities. Thus, an adjustable electromagnetic torso scanner is proposed to utilize dielectric contrast between fatty and healthy liver tissue for early stage detection of fatty liver. To achieve these aims, our industry partner, Princess Alexandra Hospital ,will provide the clinical environment to develop and evaluate the scanner as well as providing collaboration with senior clinician scientists with expertise in the diagnosis and management of NAFLD and other liver diseases.
- Grant type:
- Advance Queensland Research Fellowships
- Researchers:
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Research Fellow
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceFaculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information TechnologyAdjunct Research Fellow
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceFaculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
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- Funded by:
- Queensland Government Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation
